King James Bible Dictionary

SWIFT, adjective

1. Moving a great distance or over a large space in a short time; moving with celerity or velocity; fleet; rapid; quick; speedy. We say, soft winds, a swift stream, swift lightnings, swift motion, swift as thought, a fowl swift of wing, a man swift of foot. swift is applicable to any kind of motion.

2. Ready; prompt.

Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. James 1:19.

3. Speedy; that comes without delay.

There shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1.

SWIFT, noun The current of a stream. [Little used.]

1. In domestic affairs, a reel or turning instrument for winding yarn. [This is a sense directly from the Saxon verb.]

2. A bird, a species of swallow, so called from the rapidity of its flight.

3. The common newt or eft, a species of lizard.

SWIFT'ER, noun In a ship, a rope used to confine the bars of the capstan in their sockets, while men are turning it; also, a rope used to encircle a boat longitudinally, to strengthen and defend her sides from the impulse of other boats. Swifters also are two shrouds fixed on the starboard and larboard sides of the lower masts, above all the other shrouds, to give the masts additional security.

SWIFT'ER, verb transitive To stretch, as shrouds by tackles.

SWIFT'LY, adverb Fleetly; rapidly; with celerity; with quick motion or velocity.

Pleas'd with the passage, we slide swiftly on.

SWIFT'NESS, noun Speed; rapid motion; quickness; celerity; velocity; rapidity. swiftness is a word of general import, applicable to every kind of motion, and to every thing that moves; as the swiftness of a bird; the swiftness of a stream; swiftness of descent in a falling body; swiftness of thought, etc.